No distance of place or lapse of time can lessen the friendship of those who are thoroughly persuaded of each other's worth.

- Robert Southey

Early June of 1995. The children were done with school for a few months. DogDay and the other Smiling Critters were looking forward to the fun months ahead. Most of the kids were already either in the Playhouse or having fun somewhere around the dome of Playcare. About half an hour ago, a cable car showed up at Playcare, indicating a visitor. DogDay had been too busy playing around with a small group of kids alongside KickinChicken. DogDay managed to slip in a small break to check on the wellbeing of the other kids playing around the dome. After he rounded the corner of Home-Sweet-Home, he stopped in his tracks.

A group of children were gathered around a new visitor, some of the kids giving her a poppy flower as a gift. A young teenager, only a few years older than the oldest kids in Playcare. Her long black hair was in two braids, and she had a warm smile on her face. There were enough poppy flowers given to her by the children to make a small bouquet. She thanked the children dearly for the flowers, closing her eyes as she smelled the aroma of the flowers. She then looked back to the kids and smiled.

"Thank you, guys. You're all so sweet."

All together, the kids gave her a polite 'you're welcome.'

Just then, the teenager looked over in his direction, and smiled wider. She looked to the kids and said, "Kids, look! It's DogDay!" She said excitedly as she nodded towards his direction.

The kids looked over and ran to him yelling in excitement. DogDay happily greeted the children, all of whom were talking over themselves about their new visitor.

"Alright kids, one at a time, please." DogDay said calmly, trying to calm the excitement. He glanced up and saw the visitor coming their way.

"That's Miss Koa!"

"She started working here!"

"She's gonna be visiting us!"

All the kids continued to yell in exciting to DogDay, though this time they took turns sharing the news.

"Is that right?" DogDay said rather absentmindedly.

Just then, KickinChicken came around the corner. "Hey, kids! Who's up for a game of tag! Hoppy's it!"

All the kids yelled in excitement again and ran in Kickin's direction.

One of them, a young boy with spiky black hair stopped and turned back, "you guys coming?"

"Oh, um, we'll catch up in a bit," the teenager, Koa, responded politely. The boy nodded and ran off to catch up with his friends.

DogDay and Koa took a minute to relish in the temporary quietness. DogDay then turned to Koa and asked, "so um," he paused, "the kids said you were visiting?"

"Yeah," she said nodding her head. "I just started working in the toy shop a few weeks ago, and Miss Greyber asked me if I could visit the kids every now and then. Something about giving the kids a chance to interact with someone older but closer to their age."

"Oh is that so? We'll, welcome to Playtime Co." DogDay said, holding out his hand for a shake, and Koa happily returned it.

"I'm pretty sure you heard the kids, but I'm Koa," she introduced herself.

"Huh," DogDay released her hand, "I've never heard a name like that before-uh," DogDay flinched, hoping he didn't offend her, "I mean-"

"It's okay," Koa interrupted assuredly, "I get that pretty often. My mom picked it. It means 'warrior,'" She explained.

"Oh, that's a strong name, Koa,"

Koa chuckled, "thanks, DogDay."

….

...

DogDay leaned against the rail as the memory faded. It really was her.

"You came back," DogDay said quietly.

"Yeah, I did," Koa said. She knew DogDay was surprised, as she remember Miss Delight's confusion on how she was still alive.

"I thought you were dead," DogDay admitted. "It's been so long."

"I thought you were dead, too," Koa admitted, a mixture of sadness and relief in her voice. "I'm so sorry, DogDay. I should've come back sooner," she apologized. "I didn't know what was happening here. You shouldn't have suffered like that. I'm so sorry."

DogDay hadn't expected her to say that. Instead of pressing the issue, he decided to ask, "how are you here? How did you survive the Hour of Joy?"

Koa was confused at what DogDay said. 'The Hour of Joy? I've been seeing that phrase written on the walls of the factory.'

"'The Hour of Joy?'" Koa asked out loud.

"The day the Prototype took control. The day the toys and mascots here went rogue and followed the Prototype's command to kill every last adult in the factory," DogDay explained.

Shock filled Koa's features. She knew something big happened here since everyone in the factory disappeared within a day. After being ambushed by Huggy Wuggy, it didn't take a genius to put two and two together and figure the living toys had something to do with it. Especially after her encounters with Mommy Long-Legs and CatNap.

"Please, DogDay. Tell me what happened," she gently pleaded.

DogDay proceeded to explain that on that faithful day in August of 1995, nearly every toy in the factory went rogue and slaughtered every last worker in the factory under the Prototype's command. The factory went into complete chaos, for lack of better words. There was blood-curdling screaming. Alarms blaring. The sounds of the mascots roars and screams. The sounds of bodies being torn apart, crushed, and eaten.

It was nothing but a bloodbath. Not just for the adults in the factory, but also the toys who disobeyed the Prototype as DogDay and the other Critters, aside from CatNap, disobeyed the Prototype and tried to save as many people as they could, only to meet gruesome deaths, or were captured by the hands of CatNap. After the carnage ended, the remaining Smiling Critters were torchered for who knows how long. DogDay took the worst of the beatings from CatNap over the years, but the others had suffered just as much as he did. Hoppy, Kickin' and Bobby died during the Hour of Joy, while Bubba and Crafty suffered mental break downs, and Picky was starved.

After PickyPiggy died, DogDay could no longer bear what was happening and what had happened. He begged and pleaded for CatNap to kill him, only to be labeled not just a heretic, but an example to what happens to heretics. DogDay never stopped praying for the pain to end. He wanted relief. That was when she came along and saved his life.

Koa was in complete shock. She never would've imagined this was the cause of the disappearances - no, the deaths - of her co-workers. She thought maybe a terrorist attack or something of the sort.

But no. These scientists were playing God by turning the orphan children into living toys, and the Hour of Joy was the consequence.

"What about the children? What happened to the children?" Koa asked, fear flooded her voice.

"I-" DogDay sighed, "I have no idea," he admitted honestly. "I got separated from the others and attacked by CatNap while we were evacuating everyone."

That brought no comfort. Koa remembered the video of Miss Delight asking about the children of Playcare, and she had been told they were safe. But how could the children have survived this long? Her breathing started to pick up, her anxiety shooting through the roof.

Noticing Koa was about to slip into an anxiety attack, he knew he needed to find a way to distract her from her dark thoughts.

"Please tell me, how did you survive that day?" DogDay asked again in a slightly demanding tone, snapping Koa out of her thoughts.

Koa welcomed the distraction the question brought. She didn't want her mind to make up terrible, dark theories about what could have happened to the children. She leveled her breathing before answering.

"I wasn't here that day. I was in the hospital. A few days earlier, I was involved in a… very nasty hunting accident," she explained quietly. "That's why I collapsed back there. I overworked my already damaged muscles."

She undid her arm brace and removed it, revealing very deep, ugly scars along her right forearm. DogDay gasped. She then shifted her torso to remove her body brace and lifted her shirt, revealing similar and deeper scars in the small of her back. DogDay brought his hand to his mouth. Koa sighed as she put her braces back on her torso and arm.

"While I was in the hospital, I heard that everyone here disappeared. I had heard that others were investing, but they had disappeared too. I really should've come back sooner, but I don't know what stopped me. Then about two or three days ago, I got a package in the mail saying everyone was still alive. I was kinda skeptical, I'll admit. It's been ten years since all that happened. But it's like instincts were calling me here."

DogDay tensed. 'Did she say…'

"Ten…years?" DogDay asked quietly. "Has it really been… ten years?"

Koa nodded slowly and sadly. DogDay looked away, his breathing picking up. Koa crawled over to DogDay's side, placing her hand on his shoulder. DogDay then hugged her close, crying into her shoulder. Koa did her best to comfort him.

"DogDay, I'm so, so sorry. I should've come back sooner."

DogDay continued to cry. It wasn't her he was upset about. It was the fact the CatNap had tortured him for that long, and it only got worse over the years. And it wasn't Koa's fault on what happened before, during, or after that fateful day. She had only worked at the factory for barely two months before the Hour of Joy took place and it must have taken a long while for her to recover from her accident.

The children had been told that she wouldn't be coming back for a little while, and they in turn told him. DogDay assumed and assured the kids that she could possibly just be sick. After the Hour of Joy took place, however, and so much time passed after that day, he thought she had been killed too. She was another close friend and he thought he lost her too. But here she was now. She had saved his life. She was comforting him as he grieved.

He looked up to her. Despite the tears, despite the pain, he smiled warmly to her. "I missed you. I'm so happy you're alive. You're here now and that's what matters," he paused for a moment, "Angel."

Koa blushed heavily. "DogDay, I'm no angel," she said quietly.

"Angel's protect and save people," DogDay reassured. "You saved me from years of torment and pain. I prayed for relief for so long. For the pain to end. You're the answer to those prayers, Angel."

Koa looked into his eyes. She looked as if she were struggling with herself for a brief moment before sighing in resignation. She placed her hand on DogDay's head and rubbed his head. DogDay grabbed her forearm and looked into her eyes. Two friends reunited after so long.

Koa then looked to DogDay's wounds and flinched. But then she was struck with a sudden memory, and DogDay noticed.

"Angel, what's wrong?"

Koa didn't answer right away. She remembered how she was ready to destroy CatNap's shrine but was stopped from doing so.

She glanced up, 'this is why, isn't it? Why You stopped me earlier?' She mentally prayed. As if in response, she felt at bliss. Totally calm.

She looked back to DogDay and smiled, "We need to get those wounds patched up. But we need something first."

This confused DogDay slightly. But then he thought she meant they needed medical supplies.

"There are several medical centers around Playcare, mostly in Home-Sweet-Home and the school. But I don't know a safe place around here, with Miss Delight and CatNap around. Heck, what were you even doing in the Playhouse in the first place?!"

"Oh, um… originally I was in the school. I was trying to turn on that generator, but I got ambushed by Miss Delight. I managed to fight her off and kill her. I couldn't go back that way so I ended up here," she explained.

'Oh, now that makes sense. She got chased here,' DogDay thought to himself.

"So we can use the medical centers in the school. But first, we need something else."

"What else could we need, Angel?" DogDay asked.

She smiled, "you'll see. But before we go, I just need to rest for a little while. My old injuries still hurt and I won't make it far if we leave now," she explained calmly.

DogDay nodded in understanding. After that chase, and being strung up for a decade, he needed to rest too. For a little while, the two friends kept each other company, comforting each other from the pain and guilt they felt for the events that took place. Even though neither of them were at fault.

After a while, Koa felt well enough that her back was no longer screaming and protesting in pain. Once DogDay had a secure grip around her shoulders, they made their way out of the Playhouse.

"DogDay," Angel suddenly spoke up. "Thank you. For telling me. About everything. I know it was hard for you, but thank you for your honesty."

DogDay nodded in response. It was no doubt hard for her as well. To hear of those evens. "You're welcome, Angel. You deserve to know."

After rounding a corner, Koa noticed a cardboard cutout of DogDay. When DogDay noticed it as well, he only burried his face in Angel's shoulders in shame and fear. Noticing DogDay was beginning to tremble, she decided to leave this cutout alone and just continued to the slide on the other end of the room. Once they were at the bottom of the slide, Koa and DogDay felt nothing but relief to be outside in the dome of Playcare. And to find no surprises waiting for them. Koa then made her way towards the school.

God never takes away something from your life without replacing it with something better.

- Billy Graham

AN: I'm not entirely sure Stella Greyber knew of the experiments going on with the children in the game, but for this story, she did not know of the experiments on or the treatment of the kids.